whats going on.. seriously confused!

acresfield
acresfield Posts: 122 Member
edited December 18 in Health and Weight Loss
ok bit of history first.

Christmas 2010 I was at my heaviest at just over 200lbs. (14 stone 4).

Roll forward 10 months and I had lost 2 stone in the worst way.. eating considerably under my BMR and doing lots of cardio but no weight training. My waist dropped from a 38" in jeans to 34" but I was mostly skinny fat. At that weight the 34" waist jeans were snug but quite wearable.

When I stopped dieting in october 2011 I gained a stone practically overnight (well ok .. in just over 2 months). The 34" levis no longer fit and were consigned to my wardrobe.

I joined MFP in jan this year and with what I have learned have really taken control of my yoyo ways and am absolutely convinced that I have this thing beat! I now eat just 250 less than my TDEE, have had several months of really finding the right balance for me calorie wise, have been doing loads of circuit training, plenty of cardio and running and am just over 13 stone. (180-ish), which is only just a bit less than what I was when I started MFP.. and now the jeans are dropping off me.

So in summary, at my lightest, which is still about 10 lbs under what I am now, the jeans were snug, now they are very loose to the extent that if I shimmy hard enough I can take them off without undoing them!

My confusion is this... I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, but not dramatically more (about 10% from what I gather), so whats going on with the jeans?

And to be honest.. i could still do with losing a fair bit of weight. my BMI is still just at the very top of the healthy limit, my body fat is still 24% measured by calipers, and so.. what waist jeans should i be shooting for? (my actual waist size measured by tape measure is 37"). If i was to aim for the middle of the BMI chart I should lose another 20lbs?! that just doesnt seem feasible to me.

Help!

Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    It's just body composition. I started doing pilates 2x/week when I was just about at my goal (2 pounds shy, to be exact). However, without losing anymore weight I dropped a whole pants size. I just chalk it up to things tightening up! This is why you really can't live and die by the scale. Measure yourself once a month and just use the scale for reference, not as your indicator of success or failure.
  • BrettMacaw
    BrettMacaw Posts: 5
    I am in no way an expert, yet my take on the BMI issue is that it may be outdated. People are bigger, stronger, and fater than before, and my feeling is that your overall physical health is at issue, not conforming to what the experts say your body weight should be, if you feel and look good, enjoy it, reap the benefits of all that being a strapping young fellow brings about, and the experts to piss off if they say you weigh too much.
  • BrettMacaw
    BrettMacaw Posts: 5
    Whoops! I meant people are bigger, stronger, and faster! Yet we humans are much fatter now than in days gone by.
  • acresfield
    acresfield Posts: 122 Member
    :) thanks folks. (nice typo brett :tongue: )

    Still all a bit confusing though. I have to say I dont really weigh myself at all any more and havent done so in about 3 weeks because I didnt want to terrify myself whilst I was trying to find the right calories for a steady weight loss.
  • usernamekelly1
    usernamekelly1 Posts: 1,941 Member
    Maybe this will help ;)

    fatpic.jpg
  • acresfield
    acresfield Posts: 122 Member
    that helps!!

    So.. I guess the answer to how much should I be shooting for is just to see what happens.. and dont buy any more expensive jeans until I get there?

    Thanks Kelly
  • lornathewizzard
    lornathewizzard Posts: 165 Member
    Maybe this will help ;)

    fatpic.jpg

    ^^ Gross but effective at explanation :)
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